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It has been a rapid, startling descent from a wondrous and unexpected June night in 2013 until today for Anthony Bennett, at one time a phenom hailed as an NBA star in the making.

But today, he finds himself looking to play for a fourth team in three seasons, his career very much in jeopardy.

It should serve as a cautionary tale to others, proof that without drive, desire and a bit of good fortune and fit, it is a giant leap from talent to success; a step that is as much about mental fortitude than any physical gifts.

Bennett, the Toronto native who was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, was waived by the Raptors on Monday, cut adrift from a minimum value contract so the team could sign a 29-year-old journeyman in Jason Thompson.

It was the final indignity for a 22-year-old well-liked by coaches and teammates, a young man given likely a last-gasp chance at reclaiming his career in his hometown but who failed.

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Raptors insiders, and those who closely watched Bennett in his one season in Minnesota, will tell you that as hard as they tried to work him and make him into a professional, the demands were just too great for him to accept.

Privately, NBA people worried about his true love for the game, his dedication to conditioning, his willingness to consistently put in the time necessary. Everyone likes Bennett — he is a nice, shy, polite young man who people want to see succeed — but they all grew increasingly frustrated with his inability to grasp what it really takes in the cut-throat world of the NBA.

Bennett has yet to find a comfort level in the league, a tweener in the parlance of the game, a six-foot-eight forward not strong enough to battle power forwards or quick enough to play on the perimeter.

The Cavaliers didn’t do him any favours when they went far outside the box to make him the No. 1 pick. That carries with it great expectations, large doses of pressure and a billing Bennett probably didn’t deserve and couldn’t live up to. He was hurt his only year with the Cavaliers, dealt to Minnesota where he was unable to force himself into any substantial role on a good young team before he walked away from the Timberwolves in a negotiated departure that cost him upwards of $3 million in forfeited salary.

The decision to sign in Toronto — a one-year deal worth the league minimum of just over $1 million — was a surprise to some. It did set him up for a heart-warming tale of a prodigal son returning to resurrect his career, but he began the season behind power forwards Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson and behind small forward DeMarre Carroll.

There was a hope inside the Toronto organization Bennett could wrest time away from James Johnson in some forward hybrid position with shooting and defensive skills, but Bennett never seized that opportunity.

He ended up appearing in only 19 games, averaging less than five minutes per game, mostly garbage time. He played a handful of games with Toronto’s D-League affiliate in Mississauga but never distinguished himself there.

For the Raptors, Thompson is purely insurance and should not be seen as someone who’ll either play a lot or help in any substantial way.

The 29-year-old, waived last week by Golden State to make room for Anderson Varejao, appeared in 28 games this season with the Warriors — averaging about six minutes a game — and spent the first seven years of his career with the Sacramento Kings.

But as a depth guy, he’s a vast improvement over Bennett and won’t force Toronto to rely on a youngster like Lucas Nogueira should injuries strike.

The Bennett saga ended up being a Raptors gamble that never paid off, and what becomes of him now is anyone’s guess. He may catch on with some going-nowhere team for the final third of the season where he can get some playing time in a stress-free environment but it will always get back to the one over-riding an undeniable fact.

It is up to Bennett to take the opportunity given him and run with it, to find some skill that forces coaches to play him and puts him in a position to become an even slightly-valuable NBA role player.

He hasn’t shown that desire yet, which speaks more about him than the teams that have employed him.

The NBA can be a cruel business, where working and making yourself into a player needs to be first and foremost in a young man’s mind.

That didn’t happen for Bennett and the question is whether it ever will or if the journey is over.

NOTE: Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry was named the Eastern Conference’s player of the week Monday. Stephen Curry won the honour for the Western Conference.

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